Brucite
is often associated with calcium carbonate in calcareous scales. In
this study, we focus on the effects of brucite dissolution on the
carbonate precipitation. Brucite-saturated solutions are elaborated
by adding the same amount of brucite powder in various volumes of
different natural and artificial seawaters (natural organic materials
are also added, with or without Mg2+ ions). The Mg2+ and Ca2+ concentrations in seawater at the beginning
and end of the experiments are determined by ICP-AES. The solid powders
are ex-situ analyzed using XRD and SEM. It is observed
that brucite dissolution leads to pH increase and enrichment of seawaters
in magnesium ions. The Mg2+ ions, either pre-existing in
the solution or added from brucite dissolution play a key role in
CaCO3 polymorph selection. In order to separate the Mg2+ and OH– effects, CaCO3 precipitation
is induced by NaOH addition in artificial seawater with or without
Mg2+. Under both NaOH and Mg(OH)2 addition,
only aragonite is precipitated from artificial and natural seawaters
in our conditions. NaOH addition in Mg-free seawater allows us to
predominantly obtain vaterite or calcite polymorphs, while both aragonite
and calcite precipitates are observed from Mg-free seawater when NaOH
is replaced by Mg(OH)2. Natural organic materials added
in artificial seawater have a significant effect on aragonite morphology.
The effect of montmorillonite and kaolinite, most common clay in marine water, on nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate in standard sea water was studied. Crystallization was induced by the degasification of the dissolved carbonic gas. It was shown by XRD and SEM analysis that CaCO 3 crystallize under its aragonite polymorph some either the clay concentration or type. It was also found that tested clays inhibited significantly the crystallization of calcium carbonate, especially for concentrations higher than 25 mgL -1. From the fine analyses of the formed solid, it was suggested that the tested clays have an indirect effect on nucleation and growth of aragonite by increasing the Mg ions concentration, strong inhibitor of CaCO 3 formation, in the neighbourhood of clay particles where supersaturation is the higher and than crystallization can occur. In addition to its indirect role, kaolinite can interact with aragonite by adsorbing on their faces and blocking growth sites.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.